We’ve got a brand new band interview hitting the blog today! Meet Modern Ties, an indie pop/rock band based in the Philly area, comprised of members George, Stephen, Jesse, and Aaron. The band as recently released five singles from their upcoming full-length album, Moments/Missed Opportunities. Before the pandemic hit, the band was scheduled to make their South by Southwest debut in Austin, Texas.
The band was previously known as Black Tie Stereo, and under that name they were voted “Best Pop/Top 40 Act” at the Steamtown Music Awards in 2016 and “Best Live Performer” in 2018. Modern Ties has played a variety of festivals, including FuzzFest in Scranton, PA, Penn State’s THON (I think I’ve seen them at THON, but you know after 46 hours of no sleep, one’s mind becomes foggy), and Musikfest in Bethlehem, PA, and have opened for acts such as Milky Chance, Panic! At the Disco, Weezer, Misterwives, and K.Flay.
Check out Modern Ties on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Spotify, and keep on reading for our interview!
Welcome Modern Ties! To begin, how have you been doing during this time of social distancing? Have you found inspiration in unexpected places?
Thanks so much for having us! Since we all got started primarily as “live” musicians, it’s been an interesting pivot to not have people right in front of our faces anymore. This has definitely forced us to be a little more introspective (since we’re alone with our individual thoughts so much more), while simultaneously being drawn outwards to address injustice and care for those less fortunate than we are. We’ve also been able to hunker down and individually get better at producing ideas on our own, so we’re excited to flex our newfound muscles with some brand new unique stuff.
Tell us about your upcoming full-length album, Moments/Missed Opportunities. What was the process like creating that album?
While we’ve all been playing our original music since 2016, we feel Moments/Missed Opportunities is the first work of ours to really bring forth the sound we want. It was very much a collaborative effort, with each member contributing a different part or arrangement to every song during pre-production. Then, we went to Chicago to record with Marc McCluskey, and he was quickly able to take our vision to the next level. It has definitely given us what we feel is a great product, along with amazing experience to launch whatever’s next in our career.
You’ve opened for some really big names – could you tell us about one really memorable experience?
When we opened for Milky Chance, it was the first time we played a bigger theater, and it was packed! We were right next to the headliners and before our set you could actually hear the crowd from our dressing room. It was all just surreal, and they were awesome guys. They didn’t have to reach out to us, or joke around with us backstage, but they did. It definitely decreased our nerves a bit, and gave us that shot of confidence where we were all like “ok, we can hang with national acts now, we’re ready”, and it has motivated us ever since.
Where do you see Modern Ties going in the future?
We’ve got quite a few more songs up our sleeve, and you can definitely expect to hear some of them soon. We have to assume there won’t be live, in-person shows for quite some time, so we’re gearing up to give you the full Modern Ties experience that we can from the comfort and safety of your own home. Stay tuned!
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